Tobacco-Free Marion County

GRASSROOTS NEWSLETTER

July-August 2006Volume 5  Number 1

 

Dear TFMC Members and Friends,

 

A couple years ago a reader asked what her daughter, living in an apartment complex out of state, could do about the smoke coming into her apartment from adjoining units which was making her sick.  At the time there were few precedents and little research to site.  Since then, two organizations have shone a light on the rights of multifamily unit dwellers to expect habitable smoke free living conditions.  The Center for Social Gerontology in Ann Arbor, MI and Maine Partnerships for Health have conducted tests and demonstrations of how smoke migrates between units through conjoined ventilation units, through switch plates and ceiling fixtures, under and above wallboard trim, etc., and they have made the contacts with HUD and rural development officials which clarified that smokefree apartment and condominium policies are legal and justified.  Housing authorities across the nation are beginning to adopt smokefree policies to protect their property investments and even more, to be able to insure a safe environment for their tenants.  This fall, TFMC is surveying rental policies in the county and starting an educational outreach to both multi-unit property owner/managers and tenants to encourage them make informed smokefree policy decisions.

 

Another area we plan to focus on, once school gets started, is the matter of teaching our youth to be more sophisticated viewers of tobacco marketing.  While the tobacco companies say their advertisements and promotions are geared toward adults, teens (and even younger kids) have long been the target.  This is evident when one stops to consider the “sex appeal” and “rebellious individual” themes so common in tobacco ads, not to mention products such as mocha-mint or toffee flavored cigarettes, collectible trading cards,  and peach or apple smokeless tobacco.  We hope to work with parents and youth here in Marion County to give our young people the tools to refuse tobacco use and a lifetime of addiction as well as help retailers understand their role in this exploitation of our children.  Some prevention advocates are also citing the dramatic increase in smoking in G and PG movies.  Almost 90% of top American films show tobacco use with less than 6% showing any negative reaction, according to an article in Preventative Medicine, May 2002.  This is important because, nationwide, teen use rates of tobacco are no longer declining. 

 

We have marked an anniversary since the last newsletter.  On July 1, 2006 we started our 5th year of tobacco prevention education in Marion County!  As background information for new subscribers, Tobacco-Free Marion County is one of 10 committees of Marion County HomeTown Health, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission to implement better access to health care and related supplemental and educational services as well as address the need to create a healthier environment for families and businesses in our community.  Tobacco-Free Marion County seeks to offer our neighbors the opportunity to avoid tobacco products in all aspects of our lives, and to understand why and how that benefits our community’s quality of life and economic health. A core group of members meets about 10 times a year to discuss current community needs and to provide guidance and oversight for the program carried out by one paid program coordinator and many volunteers.  Please contact our office for meeting times if you wish to become a more active member of the coalition or to offer your particular insights.  TFMC’s programmatic and fiscal agenda are currently approved and funded by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, utilizing the Master Settlement Agreement funds paid by tobacco companies to offset a small part of the enormous cost of tobacco exposure paid by the state. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TFMC!

 

We have spent much of July helping our local businesses implement the new laws which insure smokefree work and public places for most Arkansans and prohibit smoking in vehicles with a child under 6 years or 60 pounds.  Thank you to the businesses and individuals who have contacted us at 870-427-2620 or www.tfmc@marioncounty.com or the ADHHS website www.ArCleanAir.com or 800-235-0002  for compliance information about these laws which went into effect 21 July 2006.  These new laws will save lives and prevent agonizing years of living with diseases caused by secondhand smoke.  Surgeon General Richard Carmona recently declared there is no more need for debate:  secondhand smoke is deadly, not merely annoying for nonsmokers, and that there is no safe level of exposure. 

 

One caution regarding the new smokefree workplace law is to not fall prey to the tobacco industry’s “harm reduction” argument. Twenty years ago, then-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said in his 1986 report, The Health Consequences of Using Smokeless Tobacco, “It is critical that our society prevent the use of this health hazard and avoid the tragic mistake of replacing the ashtray with the spittoon.”   Smokeless tobacco, with a substantial dose of addictive nicotine and other chemicals in each dip or chew, is linked to cancers of the lip, tongue, and throat, heart disease and strokes, erectile dysfunction, receding gums and cavities, high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, and fetal development problems.  smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking.   The tobacco industry is expanding into a new product line, chewing tobacco that the user doesn’t have to spit during use. These products, marketed as a way to use tobacco in the increasing numbers of smokefree areas, have been introduced in the U.S. without FDA oversight.

 

There is good news for smokers and spitters, though.  The Arkansas College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has prepared itself for an influx of callers to the SOS Quit Line, a free telephone-based, one-on-one tobacco cessation counseling service.  As workplaces clear the air of tobacco smoke, many people will decide to extend this benefit to their homes and vehicles.  The Quit Line at 1-866-NOW-QUIT is there to help individualize a quit plan for tobacco users, which will increase the odds of a successful quit attempt, and plan ahead to stay quit!  For some, quitting is a long process and many attempts are necessary; the trained Quit Line counselors will keep working with callers until they reach their desired goal.

 

Special recognition is owed to some special people.  Jerry Strobel has been Chairperson of TFMC for as long as TFMC has been.  Jerry, your leadership is much appreciated and we cannot say “Thank you” enough!  Congratulations, Mike Rotenberry, new MCHTH President.  Mike has facilitated a number of tobacco prevention activities and we already know we work well together.  Billy and Patsy Rose have moved out of our service area, but not our hearts.  Thank you both for your enthusiastic support of our public health outreach.   Good luck in your new home, Bruno-Pyatt ‘06 graduate, Shelley (Hadley) Crombie; you were the gold star example for teens all across the state during your 4 year involvement with TFMC and Arkansans for Drug Free Youth.  Handsel Art Creative Director, Pinky Few, is our nationally recognized media coordinator and a fearless and unflagging challenger of a rogue industry. Thank you Judge and Quorum Court for legislating a 50’ tobacco free zone around entrances to county buildings.

 

 

Tobacco-Free Marion County

PO Box 188

Pyatt, AR  72672

870-427-2620

tfmc@marioncounty.com